Love Letters (8 page)

Uh-oh!
Chloe tried to interrupt before her mother could get on a roll, but it was too late.

“
Do you want to give me a heart attack? Chloe, are you listening to me? I’m not prepared to be a grandma yet.”

Chloe drummed her fingers on the night stand. Was her mother always like this, or had she grown worse over the years? “Mom, I’m listening to you, and I’m not pregnant. I called you because I’m getting
married
in June to my boyfriend, Richard Foster, who I’ve been seeing for two years.”

“
Who is this Richard Foster, and where did you meet him?” Her mother sounded calmer now. “Did you meet him on the internet? You think I don’t know about today’s generation? All they care about is meeting men online. In my time men chased women, not the other way around. It’s all backwards now. Tell me the truth, Chloe, did you meet him online?”

“
Mom, I met Richard at the Ritz Hotel while I was havi –”

“
And what were you doing at the Ritz hotel?” Suzanne’s voice grew louder still. “Parading yourself?”

Chloe knew how over-protective her mother could be. At times she wasn’t sure if her mother was frustrated with her because she was too independent and had a mind of her own, or simply worried that she might end up like her, old and alone.
“Mom, I wasn’t parading myself. I was attending a wedding of a client, and Richard happened to be there too.
He
approached
me
.”

“
Are you telling me that you talk to strangers? Have I taught you nothing?”

Chloe threw herself back on her bed. She knew if her dad were alive, he would be pacifying them both.
Mom always has to know the what, when, where, why and how.
“Mom, Richard is a decent guy. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved here to attend college. He works for Bank of America.” Chloe rubbed her aching head.

“
I don’t trust bankers. All they want is your money. Our country wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for bankers.”

Chloe was trembling now. “Richard’s not like that, Mom. He’s a hard worker and very responsible.”

Suzanne was silent for once.

“
Mom, are you still there?”

“
Of course I’m still here. Just because I’m sixty years old doesn’t mean I’m deaf.”

When had her mother become so bitter? Chloe wondered if it had begun when she married a man she didn’t love and left her dreams behind to raise a child … to raise Chloe. Is that what
she
was doing? Marrying a man she didn’t love, giving up
her
dreams? No, that was silly. She was
not
her mom. She took a deep breath. “Mom, will you come to my wedding? Please?”

“
When are you getting married?”

“
In three months.”

“
For heaven’s sake, Chloe, you’re getting married in June and you’re only calling me now? What is this, a drive-thru wedding?”

“
He proposed to me in December. It’s a six month engagement.”

A shocked silence followed. Then, in a quiet voice that frightened Chloe more than the yelling, her mother said, “Let me ask you this, were you going to call me if you didn’t get married?”

“
I don’t know, Mom. That’s a difficult question to answer. It sounds like you’re still angry at me.”

“
You remind me of your father. You just seem to go where the wind takes you.” Sadness permeated her words, leaving a lump in Chloe’s throat.

Chloe kept quiet. She didn’t know how to mention Ignacio without stirring up more old wounds, so she decided to save it for later, when the waters were calmer between them. “Mom, do you think I can visit you next week? I’d like to hang out.”

“
Since when do you want to hang out with me?” Suzanne asked suspiciously.

“
Mom, you’re not making this any easier for me. I called you today because I wanted to tell you about my wedding.”

“
Which you already did ….”

Chloe hugged her teddy tighter. “I want to spend time with you, maybe have a mother and daughter day. I’m getting married and I need some advice.”

“
Are you feeling okay, Chloe? You sound kind of strange.”

“
I’m fine, Mom. Why do ask?”

“
You’ve never asked me for advice.”

It was true. She never had, so why now? “Well, that’s because you’ve given it to me whether I asked for it or not.”

“
Something’s wrong. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“
Okay, Mom, you win.” Chloe sighed. “It was Richard who asked me to call you. He said that we can’t have a wedding unless he meets you.”

Suzanne laughed. “So, my instincts are still sharp.”

In spite of herself, Chloe chuckled. “Still, I need to see you soon. There’s something I need to ask you.”

After a brief hesitation, Suzanne said, “Chloe, I appreciate you calling me after two years, but … I have a life now and, well … I’ve got a trip scheduled.”

Chloe bit her nail. “Trip? Where are you going? When?”

“
I’m leaving for South America tomorrow with Jill. We’ll be travelling to Argentina, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.”

“
Tomorrow?
Why are you going to South America?”

“
You know that Jill and I travel together every year.”

Chloe couldn’t help wondering if this had anything to do with Ignacio. She opened her mouth to ask, but somehow the words wouldn’t come. Instead she said, “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“
Okay. And Chloe … Thank you for calling me today. It meant a lot to me.”

“
Have a safe trip, Mom.” She started to hang up but stopped. “Hey, Mom?”

“
Yeah?”

“
I love you.”

There was a long pause. Then, in a voice that quavered, her mom said, “Me too.” Then she was gone. Chloe lay there, looking up at the ceiling. Was her mother looking for Ignacio now that her dad was gone?
She pictured Josh. Maybe she and her mom were more alike than she’d thought possible.

***

“
Honey, maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t sell this place,” Chloe said over dinner that evening at her house.

“
How can you say that, when you only showed it to four people?” Richard furrowed his brows.

“
They all keep asking me the same question: Why do I want to sell?”

Richard was sending an email from his phone while eating his grilled chicken. “I’m sure you’ll be able to sell it. You just need to show them that you’re not too attached to the house.”

She folded her arms. “How can I not be attached to this house when I’ve lived here all my life?”

Richard continued to type his email. “Maybe we should remove your stuff before we show it to buyers again. Without your furniture, they’ll be able to picture themselves living here.”

“
You know that’s impossible,” she said, picking at the last of her eggplant parmesan. “I don’t want to pay for storage.”

“
Who says you’re going to pay for storage?” he said, looking at her. “How about you sell all your stuff and move in with me next month?”

She scraped her chair back. “And Greta?”

Richard shrugged. “Greta can stay with Nicole for the meantime.”

Chloe crossed her legs. “And my job?”

He drank his water. “You can always quit. We’ve already discussed that. Your job isn’t important.”

“
It is to me.”

“
Is it?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Chloe stood up and took the empty dishes into the kitchen, then returned with two green teas. “I make brides’ dreams come true. Every bride who comes in that store is looking for reassurance that her wedding day is going to be the best day of her life. I make that possible.”

Richard stirred his tea. “Are you serious?”

She pushed her cup away. “You know what, maybe you and I come from two different worlds.”

Richard set his spoon on his napkin and raised his hands. “What do you mean, Chloe? I thought we discussed that you were to quit your job and sell your house.”

Chloe just shook her head. What had she expected? Richard grew up in a big family in Atlanta, Georgia. While his dad worked, his mom stayed home to raise eight kids. He wanted Chloe to stay home and be a housewife like his mom. Richard had his whole life planned. He was working hard now to be able to retire at fifty. He had invested in stocks and mutual funds that he believed would take care of their future.

He had told Chloe that by selling her house, they could use the money to invest in more stocks. She knew he didn’t tell her all his plans because he didn’t believe Chloe would understand. And she had to admit, as she sipped on her tea, she’d never had to worry about money while growing up and had always been happy-go-lucky. It was up to Richard to make their future bright. And Chloe also had to admit she had agreed to Richard’s terms of quitting her job and selling the house, but lately Richard had complained she wasn’t acting herself. Perhaps she was simply overwhelmed with the wedding preparations.

Chloe had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized Richard was talking until he said, “Well, didn’t you agree you would sell the house and quit your job?”

“
Those were your ideas, not mine,” Chloe snapped.

Richard moved his chair close to hers and rubbed her shoulders. “Baby, you’re not making any sense. Are you all right?”

“
I think you better go. It’s getting late and we both have work tomorrow,” Chloe said, stiffening in her seat. She wanted to tell him that she had spoken to her mother and to share the letters from Ignacio with him, but she was feeling too confused right now. She was afraid he would just use them to try to convince her that he was right in making all the decisions for them as a couple.

Richard wrapped his arms around her waist. “It’s okay to be nervous with the wedding coming up. Let’s give it some time, okay? I’m sure we’ll find the right buyer.”

She forced herself to nod as he kissed her goodnight and left.

A part of her wanted to fulfill Richard’s wishes, but giving up her job was something she couldn’t do. She remembered her customers’ smiles each time they walked out of the store, a satisfied look that every bride knew. Chloe kept the beautiful cards they wrote, thanking her for their gowns and the wonderful experience they’d had with her. She couldn’t count how many weddings she’d attended, and how many buckets of tears she’d cried watching her customers wear the gowns from
Brides Only.
She couldn’t leave her job.

Yet she wasn’t just upset about leaving her job. She was angry at her mother for not telling her about Ignacio or her wanting to be a Broadway actress. She was confused about why her mom had never ended up with Ignacio, but more than anything she needed to see Josh.

She carried Greta to her room and turned off the lights, then lay down on her bed. Tossing and turning, she fell asleep just before dawn.

***

Chloe didn’t hear her alarm clock that morning and woke up at nine fifteen, barely enough time to take a quick shower and rush to work, never mind breakfast. Her energy was already depleted after talking to her mother and arguing with Richard the night before. What she needed was a power bar to rejuvenate her. She hopped in the shower and ten minutes later she was in her Jetta ready to head to work with wet hair. She hated days like these.

Her cell phone rang while she was backing out of the driveway. It was Nicole.

“
Hi, Nic, you’re never going to believe it. I finally called Mom. Oh boy, she’s still the same Suzanne. I guess two years really was a vacation for me,” Chloe joked.

“
Hmm, interesting. By the way, can we meet for a late lunch? I need to talk to you and I made two sandwiches. We can eat here at the back of the salon during my break.”

Chloe rubbed her temple, feeling a terrible headache coming on. “Sure. Everything okay? You sound down.”

“
I can’t talk now, but meet me here around three. Let’s talk then,” Nicole said.

I hope Nicole didn’t get into a fight with Matt.

Ten minutes later, Chloe arrived at the shop, turned on the lights and put her purse in her office. As soon as she turned the open sign over, four women walked in. It was a busy day for Chloe, whose customers flew in and out the door the entire morning. She had lost all track of time until Maureen told her that Nicole was on line one.

“
Are you coming?” Nicole asked.

“
I’m sorry. I’ll be there in two minutes,” Chloe replied, grabbing her purse.

Then to Maureen and Faye she called, “I might take a longer lunch today. You can reach me on my cell phone.”

Nicole was waiting for her at the back of the salon with two sandwiches when Chloe arrived seven minutes later.

Chloe gave her a big hug. “What’s the matter? You look like you got hit by a bus.”

Nicole was wearing jeans and an ordinary white shirt, and she had dark circles underneath her eyes. “The bank is foreclosing on our home.”